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Rudolph’s new enemy: The eagles hunting adult reindeer in Norway

Zoologger is our weekly column highlighting extraordinary animals – and occasionally other organisms – from around the world

By Sam Wong

Species: Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)Habitat: Open regions in much of the northern hemisphere

Watch out, Rudolph! Golden eagles in Norway regularly prey on reindeer calves, and have even been seen taking on adults – particularly in early winter following bouts of bad weather.

The eagles, which have a wingspan of around 2 metres, land on the reindeer’s back and sink their long talons into it, puncturing large blood vessels under the spine. Then they wait for the deer to die from blood loss.

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This is according to field observations made by Olav Strand at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, who says he has seen eagles kill adult deer weighing as much as 60 kilograms.

Eagles usually hunt calves during the spring when females generally give birth within a period of about two weeks. “During that period eagles can be very active. In the calving area you see them operating more or less every day,” says Strand.

There have only been occasional sightings of eagles attacking older animals. Strand suspects this is more likely to happen in early winter, after a spell of bad weather that prevents eagles from catching their normal prey such as hares.

Camera shy

Golden eagles live across the northern hemisphere. Their usual prey includes hares, rabbits, grouse and ground squirrels, but they have also been seen hunting large mammals such as wolves, sheep and saiga antelope. When diving for prey, they can reach speeds of 240 kilometres per hour.

Reindeer populations in Norway are healthy, but their status is vulnerable due to the loss of habitat from human activity. In several places, their old migration routes have been blocked by roads and railways, so they are confined to a smaller area.

This is a worry, says Strand. “It’s possible to expect some kind of interaction between the level of fragmentation and the coming climate change,” he says. “Through history, the only defence reindeers have had to climate and predators has been to move.”